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Contents: 2011:
1. Business 2. Property Investment and Land Development 3. Fiancial Freedom 4. Master Franchising
5. Internet Business
2010: 1. Journey Begins 2. General Motors Singapore 3. Salvation 4. Hit-and-Run accident 5. Keyence 6. Zymol 7. ArmorShield 8. Marriage 9. Porsche 10. Rolls Royce
2011:
1. Business
Late 2010, almost towards the end of Dec, a miracle happened. He stumbled across an email by Vpost that says one can invest in property with little or no money down. He decided to attend the free two hours talk by Wendy Kwek of Executive Directions with his wife. Both of them came out of the talk a different person. They decided to attend the other two hours talk with regards to being your own boss with little or no money down too! Again, they were presented with an opportunity of a life-time to realise his dream. He was presented a token of appreciation by Jerome Tan, Robert Kiyosaki's "Choose to be Rich" series for signing up a 2.5days course. They went home, listen to the 12 CDs and they were again transformed by the thoughts and ideas that Robert shared.
One day, his partner went to listen to a presentation about a property in Woodlands available at a good value, low risk and high yield potential, they decided to incorporate a company to invest in a unit with a few shareholders. He initially thought he would only be a small investor but, he had been put in a position to become its director and have to bear the responsibility to ensure the business venture works and are profitable. It was his dream to have a business by 40 and now it has become a reality. A year of Restful Increase has certainly came to pass.
2. Property and Land Development
A church friend who owns many plots of land in the Indonesia has commissioned him to develop not one but a few projects. It is the beginning of his long term interest to create passive income and to be financially free in a few years time. He has sat with his mentors to discuss the details and hopefully the "Kara" moment can take place soon...
He has also invested with three other friends in a hotel unit in London near the famous Wembley Stadium. This is his first overseas investment and he believes it's a good investment as 2012 is the Olympic year in London and is going to make London to become a prominent place to be over the next few years just like the ripple effect that has caused China to be prosperous.
3. Financial Freedom
As Robert Kiyosaki took 9 years to becoming financially free, his family is positioning to becoming to be likewise too. He hopes over the next several years he can become financially free and be blessings to those around him. He wishes to participate in the journey with his church to reach out to this lost and dying world. He believes the church is becoming brighter and brighter and the world is becoming darker and darker. He believes he and his fellow believers are the salt and the light to this world.
4. Master Franchising
His personal good friend, fishing kaki, fishing master has two restaurants in Batam, Indonesia. To recognise his good works and skilful culinary experience, he decides to begin a master franchising project to honour this master. With his experience in property investment, he is going to gather investors to acquire a property and to start the first restaurant franchise in Singapore. It is going to grow from one to two and eventually covering every corner in Singapore. After which the franchise is to be brought overseas and to becoming as famous as McDonald’s, but this time round, a Chinese menu instead of an American menu for the world. From breakfast to dinner!
2010:
1. Journey Begins...
Adopted into a 2nd generation immigrant family in Singapore, he grew up as the only child. He grew up in a less than ideal location called Bugis Street.
Fortunately, his mother is a wise woman. Though totally illiterate, foresaw the importance of education and put him into a mission school nearby, St Anthony Boys' School. Blur as he does, not know what is going on, went on to pass PSLE with flying colours.
Later, he was educated in a coveted 'rich' man school, St Joseph's Institution. Still unable to figure out what the hack is he doing in school, he made some friends outside the school and later let him astray and saddened his mother.
During school holidays, he would hang out at his friends' working place at Albert Street. It was a car accessories shop that installs car stereo and other after-market gadgets into cars. That was his first taste of the car trade and it was the year 1982.
While his classmates advanced and scored well in their school works, he embarked into a different world with two of his best childhood friends. There were also other friends along the way who influenced him. They shaped him into perceiving and value life differently.
He started playing truant in school and his record was missing school for more than 30 days in secondary four. He got F9s for almost all his preliminary results. He panicked and he went into a St Joseph's church along Victoria Street where he knelt and prayed with desperations.
One of his good friends showed him a nearby Queen Street Community Centre. Many people went there to prepare for their exams. He soaked himself in a Reading Room everyday for a month from 830am till after dinner. There, he identified important topics from his Text Books and began to cut and paste them in jotter books. That helped him to crunch and read those things that were taught throughout the year.
His Chinese teacher, challenged him that if he could passed his 'O' levels, she would 'chopped' off her head. However, the month-long hard work in the reading room paid off. He was able to pick up four credits including English, Chinese, Maths and Combined Science. He had also miraculously earned a position to enter Mechanical Engineering in the Singapore Polytechnic.
Things went south again when he realised that the large amount of money his old parents had to folk out daily for his transport and food for his poly lifestyle. Both parents were then in their 60s. He didn't want to burden them and he quitted after four months. He thought he could make a living by working in the car accessories shop he used to hang out as an apprentice. He was wrong, the prospect there wasn't promising. Later, he joined the Mandarin Oriental Hotel as a room attendant. The dust in the hotel rooms caused him to nose-bleed profusely that he had to quit after one month.
Soon after, he was enlisted to serve his National Service. He enrolled to sign-on as a regular soldier in the Army as a Signaller. There were two recruiters in charge of his contract. But, unfortunately, one of them went on Run-Out-Date and the other one went to Taiwan for training. His contract never got materialised. During his three months recruit training, he excelled to become the "Best PT (Physical Trainee)" and also the "Best Shot (Best Shooter)".
After his passed-out-date in Nee Soon Camp, he was posted to 4FSB (4th Forward Supply Base), a small camp next to Paya Lebar Airbase. Because of the nature of his duties as a RP (Regimental Policeman), he only has to serve one day in camp and off on the following day. He went back to work in the car accessory shop during his off days. And so because of that, he no longer wants to pursue his full-time contract with the Army anymore. In the midst of his two-year National Service, he obtained two licences, a Class 3 and a Class 2B (Driving and Riding). These two licences soon became the cause of two of the greatest events that took place in the his later years... 28Nov09
After his National Service, he visited China - Hainan for the first time with his mother. It was also the first time he will be sitting in a plane. He spent a good one-month in Hainan travelling from the North to the South. There he got to see his parents’ birth place for the first time.
2. General Motors Singapore...
After the tour, he came back and he realized that it is so difficult to find a decent job without a proper certification.
He soon saw in the Straits Times that GM Singapore was sponsoring interns to study in Japan-Singapore Technical Institute for two years. His major was in "Mechatronics". Upon completion, he was awarded an ITC (Industrial Technician Certificate) and served a three-year bond with the company. That was also where he found his beloved wife.
3. Salvation...
Charles Greenaway - the preacher who inspired him on his salvation journey.
His girlfriend was a believer. And because he was courting her, he went to attend a rally with her where Charles spoke about the "garbage man". That touches his deepest emotion and he realized he needs a Saviour.
Finally, in the following year at a Rich Wilkerson rally, he accepted Christ. Knowing how much he was forgiven, tears burst out from his eyes non-stop. His brown leather shoes were soaked wet by his tears.
Prior to his salvation, he went around persecuting believers, hailed insults at them and used vulgarity on them as well. As with Saul who became Paul in the bible, so was he saved by the Grace of God. 3Dec09
4. Hit-and-Run accident...
21 Nov 1993, it was GM Singapore Annual Dinner and Dance. At 1155pm, after sending his then girlfriend home, he was riding home on Upper Serangoon Road towards Hougang. While approaching the traffic lights at the junction of Serangoon Central and Upper Serangoon Road, he saw a lorry on the opposite side intending to turn right. The traffic was green in his favor. He quickly flashed the high beam at the lorry, thinking it will stop as he had the right of way.
The only thing he could remember was that he called his girlfriend and informed her that he had met an accident and was admitted to Tan Tock Seng Hospital. He even told her he was alright despite of the serious injuries he had sustained.
His face was totally smashed on the inside, his left cheek bone had collapsed. He lost ten tooth due to the impact. The femur and tibia bone on the right leg had suffered open-fracture as a result of the lorry crashing into him from his right. One of his eyes sustained cornea abrasion and green discharge were flowing out from the eye. Among others were the few wounds punctured by his Yamaha RX125's motorcycle. His ribs suffered hairline crack too.
He asked his surgeon Dr. John Chia how long it would take for his recovery. Dr. John told him he would have to stay on the bed for at least six months. And a further few months for complete recovery before going back to work.
As he was the only child and bread-winner in the house, he could not accept that fact. He even encouraged himself that God would do a miracle for him.
Two major surgeries took place.
1. Two titanium rod about a foot long each with 23 Titanium screws were implanted to his right foot to secure his tibia and femur.
2. His dental surgeon Dr. Sylvia Tay cuts open his face from the inside of his mouth and lifted his face (literally "Face Off"). A Titanium plate and several screws were implanted to his collapsed face. They were to stay there for the rest of his life. His upper and lower jaws were also tied together with stainless steel wires. There was a hole between the teeth as a result of the ten missing tooth. (6Dec09)
The injury caused him to swell beyond recognition. The only way his visitors could recognized him was from the name printed on the label of the flowers sent to him from his church. In the night, the pain were so excruciating that the Morphine lost its effectiveness after two hour. He cried and cried till the nurse came. She said there was nothing she could do. In despair, he cried out to Jesus instead. He mourned "Jesus Jesus Jesus" Within five minutes; he fell asleep and couldn't feel the pain anymore. Two hours later, he woke up feeling the pain again. The nurse administered another dose of Morphine and the pain was under controlled.
However, on the tenth day, he started feeling hungry. An old Indian tea lady came and asked if he was hungry. He replied yes and a hot-dog bun and coffee was served. He mashed the bun and ate them through the hole between his missing teeth. After breakfast, Dr. John Chia came. He asked Dr. John he could go home. To his astonishment, Dr.John told him he could go home the next day. A physiotherapist was immediately dispatched to teach him how to use the crutches.
On the 11th day, he was discharged to go home. And within the next five months, he's back to work. His hospitalization leave were sufficient and his income was not affected. He has received a super-miracle from heaven! Praised the Lord!
5. Keyence
Keyence is one of the most profitable companies in Japan today. It was the #1 most-profitable company among the 1,000 companies listed in Japan in the year 1996 (to be confirm as the Japanese article was misplaced).
This is his first career in sales as a Technical Sales Engineer. Keyence has a much disciplined way to produce sales. One must make about 30 connected calls to prospect and make appointments to visit for the next day. One day making calls from the office (call-day) and one day to visit prospects (visit-day).
During the visit, he demonstrates new products and their applications to the engineers in Hewlett Packard, Sony, Hitachi, Spring Singapore, etc. He was made the #1 sales-personnel after six months.
His sales experiences in Keyence have greatly benefited his career in the future.
6. Zymol
As a successful salesperson in Keyence, he did not forget his love for cars. Upon request from his best friend then, he was head-hunted to join her husband in a start-up in car-detailing and distributing the Zymol products.
There, he learnt the skills to detail cars with the most prestigious car-care products in the world - Zymol. It was tough working in a start-up company but it was rewarding. He has the opportunities to come near virtually all the exotic cars the world has ever produced brand new. Not only that, he get to drives them too.
There, he made many new friends and of course, foes... These pests are everywhere...
7. Armorshield
1998, the Asian financial crisis forced him to leave the car-detailing company after three months without salary.
He then turned to help his sister in a coffee-shop, runs a mixed-rice-vegetable stall for a year.
He was accepted into a management trainee post in Armorshield. There, he learns another new trade in construction.
The trade may have changed, but his marketing training in LCCI and CIM helps him to focus. No matter in which trade, business is carried out with no difference, people, product, price, place and most important of all, PROFITS!
Armorshield deals with safety glass and to a certain extent, ballistic resistant. Armorshield glass is also the ONLY safety glass laminated with DRY safety film via a proprietary machine built by Liao Yong Meng. Other competitors' application uses WET application that requires at least 30days before the maximum strength to suffice. Armorshield glass has anti-shattering effect against stress from the environment. It has a certain ballistic capability when laminated to normal (float) glass and not tempered glass.
He also participated in the company involvement in listing one of the last internet companies before the dot-com bubble burst. He left the company when the key architect of HDB (Housing Development Board) reviewed to him that they are putting major building projects on hold due to over-built. There were more than 17,000 units left vacant when many applicants dropped out to purchase resale houses.
He left the company and went on a ten-day tour in the Holy Land, Israel. 25Dec09 Merry Christmas and Sabbath Shalom!
8. Marriage
She was his colleague, his friend, his fishing kaki, his companion in time of need, his guidance toward salvation, his influencer, his chief financial officer, his child-bearer, his neck, his responsibility and almost everything beside his Abba.
She has hair that covers half her face when he first met her in the company. He was there to serve his three-year bond after his two-year training in Japan-Singapore Technical Institute.
She talked about the adventures she wants to go and fulfill. She's very daring; she wants to pick up riding and driving. So, he encourages her to do so. He soon became fond with her.
One day, while he was helping out his then best friend to delivery flowers on Valentine's day, he invited her to come along. Despite working the night shift the night before, she agreed to come along. It was hard work. Planning the routes, making the rounds to deliver the flowers and chocolates on time and hoping the flower would not withered in the hot sun.
Finally, after the day is over, his best friend invited them to celebrate in the then Westin-Stamford hotel for a drink. There, he received the call from his then girlfriend to break off. He told her to reconsider and reply after three days.
The then girlfriend insisted on the decision to break off after three days. That's when he started full throttle wooing her. He was so grateful that Abba had sent someone who has very similar hobbies and character as him.
They spent wonderful times together and started planning for a family. They started saving and working toward marriage. 1May10 to be continued...
9. Porsche
2009, the Asian financial crisis forced him to leave Zymol (total 10 years) to join Porsche. This assignment was granted purely by grace. After months of searching for a position, he was inspired to ask a church friend who were working in a head-hunting company for a position in the car industry. Incidentally, his lady boss was a relative to the general manager of Porsche Singapore whom was looking for a sales-person. To be able to represent Porsche is an ultimate dream for him since childhood because he has long wanted to come near and got associated with these legendary sports car brands. Seven months into selling Porsche, he was doing relatively well in terms of sales. He had sold 27 Porsches in the first seven months. Considering he has absolutely no experience in selling cars, he can only give glory to the Lord for blessing him richly.
10. Rolls Royce
An opportunity was presented to the Porsche sales team if anyone is interested to be transferred to sell Rolls Royce. He volunteered. Rolls Royce has always been mystical brand that has intrigued him for many years. He has heard so much about the famous car event "Concours d'Elegance" in the Pebble Beach, California and Rolls Royce is very much a part of this very exclusive annual event that has been running for the last 60 years. He wishes one day he can travel there with his family to personally experience this ultimate car collectors’ event.
It’s been more than a year now and he is thankful to the Lord for leading and guiding him every steps of the way. He is hopeful for greater and more responsibilities in helping this awesome brand becoming more and more acceptable to anyone that is looking for the ultimate car, the last car brand any human can ever dream of owning. Shalom.
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